Our Week in the Forest...

As the droplets bounced off hood and hand, the smallest nose peeped out and headed onwards: to the towering logs; the planks placed miles above the meadow and the ladders stretched across grass and the sprouting nettles. Around this construction ran aliens, prowled big cats and sat artists, sketching the scenes of the mind’s eye for grateful recipients. Our children are marvels and each week is as unique as they are.

Jump. From climbing up high to finally jump off, the children have had a real desire to see how far they can leap from things. Obstacle courses have been put up, altered by the children, and extended, lengthened and made more difficult. Some children had the confidence to attack the courses independently and showed great skill in balancing, climbing and finally making the big jump at the end. Those who were a little unsure used adult’s and their friend’s hands to get through the course, before advancing to a finger to help, and then getting across all of the obstacles on their own!One adult asked: “How could we make the obstacle course harder? Maybe build it higher?”A child’s response: “But not too high or else we’ll need a helicopter to help us!”

Make. Although being in a forest can make certain arts and crafts a little trickier to do with the children, we at Little Forest Folk are always keen to adapt and initiate activities that the children will love. This week saw the making of both flags and cards.

The flags really caught the children’s imaginations, as they are so familiar with the boundary flags that are so important to the day-to-day play in Fishpond Woods. The children made their flags for all occasions, even for Power Rangers! They enjoyed collecting their sticks, drawing their designs onto paper and then sticking the two together.

The cards let the children’s drawing skills shine through and put a lot of love into the making of something for somebody special. The thoughtfulness that the children demonstrated was awe-inspiring and each child chose their colours carefully to ensure the pictures they drew were just right.

Eat. With the Spring Equinox having been on Monday, so began our new spring menu. The children have taken to the new food with gusto and it has been lovely seeing happy smiles covered in hummus, baked bean sauce and cheese! Some children even licked their plates clean, which is a great compliment to the food and the children have been very brave in trying new things and enjoying it. We hope to start cooking a little more in the forest too so food will be high on the agenda in this season of new life … and new food!

The joy within Little Forest FolkWe have a brand new video which was filmed by one of our fabulous parents in winter 2016, showcasing the joy of our Little Forest Folk experience.